MEET THE 2023 ARTISTS
We are so grateful for all of our participating artists and can't wait to share with you what each of them have created for our 2023 Art of Love Virtual Auction. This year we have vases by Tenley Thompson, Kathryn Mapes Turner, Carrie Wild, Anika Youcha, Shannon Marie Schacht, Lyn St. Claire, Sonia Reid, and new artist Caleb Meyer. Below you will find the vases we currently have photographs of, and artist bios as well. From August 1st to September 12th, we will host a virtual auction where you can bid on your vase of choice for a chance to take it home! As always, all proceeds go to Community Entry Services. Our collection of vases is being updated in real-time so check back in later if you don't see the artist you are looking for yet!
Tenley Thompson
Tenley Thompson is a ceramic artist, textile artist and owner of Jumping Jackalope Studios based in Jackson, Wyoming. Tenley’s work focuses on the wonders of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and its inhabitants. Her background as a wildlife biologist inspires her depictions of the wildlife and landscapes of our ecosystem. More of Tenley’s ceramic and textile work can be found at: Jumpingjackaloststudios.com
Carrie Wild
Carrie Wild is a professional artist and gallery owner based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where she enjoys photographing and observing the wildlife that appears in her work. As witness to the wonders of nature and the countless heart pounding moments, Carrie translates her experiences through the application of dramatic colors and presence while maintaining realistic confirmation of the animal. Rich colors and textures are used with a variety of mediums, including gold leaf to achieve her vision.
Carrie is currently working on her “Rendezvous Series” where she is exploring how far she can go into simplifying her subjects, without losing their individual personalities as well as relationships with the subjects that surround them.
Carrie is the co-founder/director of Gallery Wild in both Jackson Hole and Santa Fe and she is the co-owner and director of Altamira Fine Art in both Jackson Hole and Scottsdale.
Kathryn Mapes Turner
The artwork of Kathryn Mapes Turner has unfolded from the mountain valley of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here she was born as the fourth generation to be raised on the Triangle X Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. Here, her consciousness of the natural world began. She grew up riding the trails of the valley, learning wilderness lore and gaining an eye for landscape. The happy synergy of a receptive spirit and a place of magnificent beauty, set the course for her life.
Turner began studying art in her teens from noted local painters. She then left Wyoming to attend the University of Notre Dame, majoring in Studio Arts. She spent an influential semester in Rome, Italy and then studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. Turner now has a Master's degree from the University of Virginia.
Having been passionate about painting since childhood, Turner is now nationally recognized with top honors from the American Impressionist Society and the National Academy of Equine Art and the Southeast Wildlife Exposition as the 2017 Featured Artist. Her work has been showcased in the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Charlie Russell Museum, the Buffalo Bill Cody Center of the West, The Phippen Museum, the Brinton Museum and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Turner has been recognized as Wyoming Best Watercolor Artist in 2001 by the Wyoming Watercolor Society and was included in SouthwestArt Magazine's "Annual Profile of Young Artists with Promising Careers.”
Turner believes that growing up in Grand Teton National Park, a place with such dramatic light and natural composition, gave her an intimate appreciation for art. "I believe the valley of Jackson Hole evokes expression," says Turner. She now travels all over the world to paint. With watercolors and oil paints, Turner responds with visual contemplations of beauty in hopes of sharing this love of the sublime with others through her work.
Turner also owns and features her work at Turner Fine Art Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Anika Youcha
Minnesota native, Anika Youcha, has spent the last 20+ years in Jackson Hole. A lover of the environment, solitude, mountains, cities, color and people, she wishes to share her love of nature and movement, soft lines and continuity within the landscape. Her paintings and drawings can be found in private collections worldwide, and at the Jenny Lake Visitors Center with a piece on permanent exhibit. Her paintings and pottery can both be found at www.anikayoucha.com
Shannon Marie Schacht
Shannon Marie Schacht is a self-taught professional wildlife artist. Originally from Maine, Shannon now resides in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming where her creativity is inspired daily by the natural surroundings. The best way to describe her style is contemporary realism with dramatic, yet intimate compositions. These are not your typical wildlife paintings. She has the ability and a gift of conveying the personality of the animals that is instantly recognizable and endearing to her collectors. Shannon’s artwork reflects her deep connection with animals, and she works hard at creating these visions with each brush stroke.
Shannon has been drawing ever since she picked up her first pencil as a child, and was instantly fascinated with using charcoal pencils to sketch wildlife. It wasn't until 2015 that Shannon decided it was time to put down the pencils and pick up a paint brush. She quickly fell in love with painting, and over the years has continued to evolve. As a self-taught artist, she takes pride in learning her own techniques through trial & error, along with lots of motivation, patience and hard work. Her love and appreciation for all animals has progressed over the years along with her artwork. She pays close attention to even the smallest details that go into each piece. Her collection of work can be seen at numerous galleries and locations around the country (see Accomplishments). Shannon has happily donated paintings to local charities for the Jackson community such as the annual St. John's Hospital Spring Fling, Tuxes & Tails Gala, Animal Adoption Center fundraiser, The WhoDunnit, The Art of Love Plate Auction, and many more. When Shannon isn't working hard in her studio, she is out exploring the outdoors and all that the mountains have to offer.
Lyn St. Claire
Lyn's paintings have won over 80 awards across the country, including Best in Show three years in a row at the Ward Museum Show. Her work has been exhibited at the Tucson Museum of Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Bennington Center for the Arts, the West Valley Art Museum, the Hiram Blauveldt Art Museum and the Phippen Museum. Other notable exhibitions that have included her work are Arts for the Parks Top 100, "Wild in de Natuur", and the Society of Animal Artists' Annual Shows.
Sonia Reid
Sonia was born and raised in the South where she attended Auburn University for 5 years and graduated from Winthrop College in South Carolina in 1988, with a bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
She began painting wildlife full time in 1996 going to shows to exhibit her work throughout the south, winning many awards along the way. She is a Signature member of Society of Animal Artists and a Member of Artists for Conservation based in Canada.
In 2006, after visiting the western US for workshops in Yellowstone national park, her family decided to make a move to Wyoming where she now lives with her husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 horses. She regularly travels with her family in an RV to national parks to visit the landscapes and wildlife of the West. She often travels to wild horse ranges to photograph and paint the wild mustangs. Another favorite pastime is visiting ranches during the horse drives that move hundreds of horses to new Pastures. Horses have been a strong inspiration for her work since she was able to draw as a young child. She is also an avid traveler to Africa, where she soaks up the atmosphere and wildlife on safari visiting there as often as she can, usually every other year.
Caleb Meyer
Caleb Meyer was born in 1982 in the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho. As a child, Caleb enjoyed all types of art, but it wasn't until a painting class in college that he discovered a passion for oil painting. After graduating from Boise State University in 2006, Meyer began an apprenticeship with nationally recognized painter, Robert Moore. Meyer compared his time in Moore's studio to the laying of a strong foundation. "The painting process is like building a house, a painter must understand the principles of design to create a foundation for a strong painting."
After a two year apprenticeship, Caleb accepted an art teaching job in Twin Falls, Idaho. Determined to continue his dream of being a painter, Meyer set up in his garage and painted on weekends and breaks from school. Slowly Caleb's own style began to emerge as he established himself as a professional artist. In 2011, after three years of teaching high school drawing and painting, Meyer left the classroom to pursue painting full time. Meyer's work is displayed in galleries across the west including Gallery Wild in both Jackson, WY & Santa Fe, NM. His artwork has been featured in Southwest Art, American Art Collector, Western Art Collector, Big Sky Journal, and Art & Architecture. Caleb lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife and three children.